Knicks likely to rest plenty of its starters in tonight's preseason tilt versus the Nets

View full sizeRich Barnes/US PresswireCarmelo Anthony will likely play little to no minutes in tonight's preseason finale against the Brooklyn Nets.

Knicks' head coach Mike Woodson has already ruled out Rasheed Wallace for tonight's game against the Brooklyn Nets in the team's final preseason game, and Marcus Camby will likely sit out as well.

Wallace and Camby are just two of the veterans who'll likely take it easy tonight, since the game means nothing in terms of the standings, prestige, or bragging rights. That time will come when the two teams meet again in the regular season opener in Brooklyn, Nov. 1.

Camby has been shelved since the fourth day of training camp with a left calf strain, but expectations are that he'll at least try to participate some in Friday's scrimmage. That's no guarantee either, since Camby will have missed all six of the Knicks' preseason games.

Another guy who's recovering from an injury, shooting guard J.R. Smith, will also sit out tonight. Smith missed the Knicks’ three-game road trip with an Achilles tendon injury, and has just recently returned to practice without the protective boot he had been wearing.

It was originally thought that Smith would be making an appearance tonight -- mainly because Smith himself tweeted he would -- but Woodson quickly squashed that idea.

The team felt it was better for both player and franchise to have him sit out, even if rust rears its head once the games count for real. Smith has only appeared in one preseason game, netting 20 points. Woodson did allow that Smith would participate in the team's scrimmages on Friday.

Shooting guard Ronnie Brewer, may be the only starter who'll log significant minutes tonight, as Woodson said he may play him "20 to 22 minutes." Brewer, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on his meniscus in early September, played 16 minutes in Monday night’s 98-90 loss to the 76ers. He played a fairly effective game considering it was his first action in months, registering four rebounds and three assists while going 0-of-2 from the field.

Brewer, who said he's looking forward to knocking off the rust, said he's ready for whatever workload tonight.

“[My knee] felt good. I felt like I hadn’t played in a year,” Brewer said. “It felt good to play, and I’m looking forward to [tonight] and getting better with the team. ... I have to continue to work on my conditioning.”